Another academic session has begun. What does a student of today really want? What can the ecosystem give him? What is an employer looking at? In a fast and ever-changing employment plot, three to four years of graduation time can render the skills acquired obsolete, except those that supplement and improve analytical, and reasoning abilities. It also conjures up a scenario where one goes through college, without knowing the place of employment or the skills required, for a possible fit, three or four years later. In spite of the best educationists telling or even sermonising to a point, that they go through a college to acquire knowledge and grow to be good citizens, it is substantially agreed that a potential student aspires for a decent and meaningful employment after graduation. Can a SWOT analysis be done of both the student and the ecosystem that results in a perfect match? Every challenge must be converted into an opportunity. Can the challenges really bring a WIN – WIN for both the main stays?
Higher Education seems to be challenged on many fronts today, both from academically gifted students to those who may not be so gifted. Cost of education is a prime factor for many to dropout and seek alternatives. This has led colleges to innovate, create efficient delivery platforms and outperform others in the business all the time.
This brings us to the question of defining performance. Is it education that leads to good placements? Is it education that adds value to the thinking quotient of young minds, or inculcates values in the young minds? These are important questions that higher education leaders must answer. In a contextual setting, the performance expectations of those inside higher education does not appear to align with the performance expectations of those outside of higher education. This misalignment is leading to more regulations and more frustration. There is a belief among some outside of higher education that if colleges were more innovative, outcomes would improve, as if innovation were a commodity that can be had at a price. Yet despite this desire for innovation, the vast majority of funding formulas from State and the Central governments remain very clichéd and traditional. That said, there is also a growing trend within state funding sources across the country to establish performance funding formulas, like pay for outcomes which elected officials believe, will make higher education more efficient and produce more, and “better” graduates.
A bright ambitious fresh graduate interviewed for a job 15 years ago, would have been asked about his degree programme, his grades and the nature of his extra-curricular activities. Today, the ante has been raised. New, additional demands are increasingly common. What overseas experience does one have? How did one value-add to the organisation one interned at? Does one have experience working with data? Is one agile enough to cope with change? Recruiters are now looking for demonstrations of aptitude that go beyond good grades. A great idea would probably be to introduce small 1 to 3 credit courses that lead to professional certifications along with credits obtained for regular courses. The skew factor in available graduates to available job opportunities will increasingly see more and more filters added to a long list of desirables that the new employers are looking at.
Karlyn Borysenko, an American researcher, in her book, “Five critical issues facing Higher Education leaders in 2014”, cites that increased scrutiny toward colleges and universities is a major challenge now and for the future. She highlights a survey finding that “24% of alumni, say the cost of their college education exceeded its value.” Probably hinting that perhaps their college degree is not providing them with the return on investment that they expected. Borysenko also states that the public and elected officials are paying much more attention to post-graduation success, as measured by employment rates and salary levels upon entering the workforce, than in the past. Additionally, students and their families expect an immediate financial return for their investment in a college degree. Though this is referenced in an American context, it is a true reflection of the current status in India, what with more than 90% of technical education and more than 65% of higher education, resident in the private sector.
A great change must happen with the curriculum, where due importance to liberal arts and social aspects must be given. Certainly, technical skills get you the employment. That However, would render a student’s growth beyond technology, one dimensional. Many skills that are required by employers today, are program outcomes of liberal arts. Face of the faculty also seems to be evolving and probably maturing. Is it time to bring in more adjunct faculty and those that have a connect with the industry, who are all experts in their areas, rather than engage full time faculty who may have closed their minds to change and are a drain on the system? These call for macro level changes. Technology can certainly bridge whatever gaps that might exist. An approach that blends available standard content, created by the best of teachers across the world, with experiential learning tools, may pay rich dividends.
Student mobility would underscore the importance of changing aspirations. Credit mobility must be the next vehicle to make this happen. Like globalisation that swept us a while back, education also is moving towards redefining and breaking boundaries. Digital networks do not need researchers to be clustered in any single environment any longer. This will ultimately push faculty to be mobile, breaking the traditional university models. Invisible Universities will rise from the ashes so to say, completely disrupting a traditional education model. Like many industries allowing people to work from home, we could see students encouraged to study from home, leaving the brick-and-mortar model for an interaction that builds the congregational talents, often seen in a classroom.
What skills are needed for employment? The entry level jobs seem to be vanishing from a world that is thriving on automation. A Pyramidal structure where entry level opportunities were the bedrock of opportunities at the bottom, if knocked out, will cause a serious dent. Hence this must be augmented with mid-level skills, assuming that increasingly there would be more opportunities for mid-level jobs. Conversely, it means that these jobs may not need a Graduate Degree, which brings us to acquirement of appropriate skills. Institutionalising skills in our education system hence, is of preponderant value. The climate of mistrust of higher education and a lack of a sense of value for college degrees that is setting in, must be viewed seriously and addressed effectively.
Would resumes make any difference in future? Organisations are increasingly filtering candidates on skills possessed and less on what is written in the resume. A future scenario may demand interested candidates, sit for on-site assessments, if they wish to apply. These could take the form of scenario-based and business case tests. This has the benefit of allowing greater reliability and organisational-relevance of assessments but avoids the logistical challenges that would come with interviewing a large number of candidates.
The challenges that these factors are imposing on higher education is unlike any seen before. The elected leaders are looking to higher education for solutions to problems, particularly economic, while chastising institutions as inefficient, costly and unwilling to change. It adds to the pressure, that various local and global factors have skewed the employment markets. It is a climate of intense pressure to perform and to improve student retention and graduation rates, while keeping the costs low. It is a climate of fostering continuous improvement and innovation, while imposing more regulations. It certainly, is a climate of challenge and opportunity, for those who can be creative and have a vision for the future, a time to hold the bull by the horn as they say.